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Member of Finance Committee in Parliament, Kwabena Amankwa Asiamah has pooh-poohed President John Mahama for passing a comment that he cannot put money into every Ghanaian's pocket.

According to Member of Parliament for Fanteakwa North Constituency on the ticket of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), President Mahama has insulted brilliant hard working Ghanaians on his assumption that every Ghanaian expects the President to put money in their pockets.

President John Dramani Mahama in an interview with Volta Star Radio on his regional 'Accounting To the People Tour' in the Volta region said Ghanaians who are not feeling the prosperity in the economy may be lacking the skills needed to take advantage of the opportunities his government has created.

". .The thing is, if you are not feeling it in your pocket, it doesn’t mean that the President is going to come from place to place distributing money to everybody. The economy will provide the opportunities but it’s for the people to take advantage,” he said in Ho.

But responding to the issue raised by President Mahama, Hon. Amankwa Asiamah on Okay FM’s Ade Akye Abia Morning Show reminded the President that nobody in Ghana is expecting him to directly put money in their pockets as this amounts to an insult to Ghanaians.

He however schooled the President saying that a robust economy is enough for the hard working Ghanaian businessmen and individuals to work to put money into their pockets, insisting that with strong economy, money will find their way into people’s pockets.

He therefore highlighted that current inflation and interest rate have become a stampede for people to borrow money from the banks; adding that the NDC government is on borrowing spree both internationally and domestically.

He stressed that President Mahama’s government is seriously competing with Ghanaian businessmen over domestic borrowing from the banks with a high interest rate at around 40 per cent; adding that the banks are rather lending the money to the government as the businessmen are unable to pay the loans.

“Which businessman or a farmer will say he is going to the ADB for a loan for Tomato and Maize farming? The banks will tell you that you cannot pay back the loan with interest. The President is right to say that but what he must understand is that, if the economy is in good shape, he won’t say what he said,” he chided.

"During Kufour’s era, banks were chasing businessmen and individuals with loans with small interest rate at around 18-20% but now it is around 38-40%. Nobody is saying the President should put money in our pockets, no; it is an insult for the President to say that to Ghanaians because it cannot happen that way but rather fix and stabilize the economy. Let’s the interest rate come down so that Ghanaians will be relieved."

He again charged President Mahama to fix the inflation problem and the outrageous water and electricity bills for the industries and the individuals to run production and even employ more workers with good salaries.

He maintained that the current economic situation is destroying businesses and so it is an insult for the President to think that Ghanaians expect him to put money in their pockets.

"Ghanaian businessmen are brilliant but the bad economy is crippling their effort to survive in their businesses. He said he is changing lives and transforming Ghana but the question is, whose life has been transformed in Ghana,” he jabbed.

“If you construct roads and the people don’t have money to pay for transportation fares, which people will use the roads and which children will attend the schools if their parents don’t have money to pay school fees?” he quizzed.